TEST DRIVE MEME: SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

[ryslighelpers]

TDM: SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

Welcome to the Ryslig Test Drive Meme! Below are a few prompts to get you started, but you may make up any prompt you desire! Please take a look at the navigation page for rules, setting information, and links to reserves and apps. Have fun!

SCENARIO ONE

You wake up on the beach thoroughly drenched, with your mouth full of sand. The salt water is making all the cuts and scrapes on your skin sting and the sand isn't helping. The air is slightly humid, ruining any feeling of refreshment you might have gotten from your dip in the ocean.

There are lights in the distance, but the unfriendly scent of gunpowder fills the air. If you're lucky, you're alone. If not - you might find yourself staring up into a pair of monstrous eyes or down the barrel of a local's shotgun.

SCENARIO TWO

So you've just arrived, and already some of the natives are trying to get on your good side with offers of food, shelter and other luxuries in return for hoping you don't eat them. They even have some helpful pamphlets to share with you. "How To Deal With Changes", "Alternatives to Human Flesh", "What to Expect When You're Expecting (to turn into a monster)" are all on the more informative end of the scale. There's even some detailing certain monsters, and the changes they go through. Some of these seem to have been passed down from one monster to the next.

Among these however, are some... not so helpful ones. "Bunnyipyips And You", "Axe Thief Axehounds," and "So you're becoming a Fur Bearing Trout" among others. Sometimes they have marks on them from previous readers saying they're lies, or pointing out good "jokes."

Then there are the people who aren't happy to see you at all. Glares and silent, judging stares if you're lucky, torches and pitchforks attempting to drive you out of the town if you're not. You may need a friend to help you.

SCENARIO THREE

"Seek us out," the voice whispers in your head, and before you have time to question it you've found yourself in someplace entirely alien.

Maybe it's the Fog God's ghostly town of Dyster, where exultant followers dance around bonfires and sing their praises to the skies above. Maybe it's the Fourth God's arcade, with small robots wheeling about amidst the lights and colors of old pinball machines.

Only one thing is certain: you are not alone, in this sacred place.

SCENARIO FOUR

The time has come and you've found yourself becoming a monster. Is the change instant, or gradual? Are you familiar enough with monsters to know what's happening, or is it a complete shock? Feel free to pick any monster type for this prompt, but note that you may not get the same one in game.

Comments

Vinegar Doppio | Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

[epitaffio]

TWO

[A boy dressed from head to toe in purples and pinks is carrying more pamphlets on him than you would think anybody with two hands could. He even has a couple of them open, somehow, looking back and forth between each.]

Human flesh... That's pretty scary. But I guess not every monster has to eat meat. [Whoa, what's this?] "Introduction to Walking on Hooves"...? Isn't that way too specific? By the time you grow hooves, you might not even--

[But he can't do everything, and that's precisely when he bumps into a Bavanite, who immediately starts going off at him. Weren't the people in Bavan supposed to be the NICE ones??

He sure looks like he could use some kind of help.]


THREE... -ish

[Another day, another stroll around Bavan. If he's stuck here, then he needs to find some place to settle into - maybe even some job to settle into. Of course, he can't think of much that he'd be good at doing other than what he was already doing back in Italy, but...

... Wait. Does he hear something? It's faint, fuzzy; he can't make anything out. Not until, suddenly, something does come through loud and clear: the ringing of a telephone.]

Oh! I knew he'd come through!

[Never mind that it's plain for anybody looking at this boy to see that he is the one making the ringing sounds with his mouth.

Anyway, he's not sure how the Boss managed to find out where he is, let alone call him, but where's the phone? He's so used to having them on him, but this place is too antiquated to HAVE mobile phones...]

There! [A receiver, left by the sidewalk! It really is his lucky day.

Vinegar Doppio picks up a banana peel, holds it to his ear, and listens intently. Finally--

Seek us out.

There's a beat, or two, and his face begins to contort into rage. He yells directly into the banana peel:]

What the fuck? How'd you get this number?!

TWO...

[standless]

[Rather honestly, Jonathan would likely have similar questions about hooves. Wouldn't a monster with hooves have to adjust before there was even time for lessons? Also, what kind of lessons would work before hooves needed to be considered??

...

Someone is getting harassed, and that's a bit more important.

With Jonathan's imposing size, it doesn't really matter how gentle and kind his face otherwise is. People tend to shut up, pause, amd stare. Especially when the 'giant' in a somewhat cheap Bavan coat steps forward and calmly draws attention to himself by voice.]

Is there a problem here? [he asks, a slight edge to his eyes perhaps implying some disappointment in the mouthy Bavanite man.] I'm certain whatever has happened doesn't require this sort of reaction. [Honestly a lot of people here just seem so rude about things that are hardly the other's fault- it's been jarring, and even Speedwagon commented on it when they spoke about it together.]

[epitaffio]

[The human pales, because there is a difference between telling off a scrawny, fresh-off-the-sea outsider and standing up to a very big man who already looks a little bit like a monster. The boy looks pretty stunned, too.

It doesn't take too long at all for the human to apologise and excuse himself with his proverbial tail between his legs, at which point Doppio looks up at his saviour.]

Thanks. That guy just... Oh, wait.

[He dropped some pamphlets when he bumped into him! Better pick them up.]

[standless]

[Honestly he's a little- well maybe a lot- disappointed. Can't anyone doing this at least try to apologize or speak more calmly about what upset them to being with?? Instead of running??

He supposes it's a sign of guilt for what was really a rather childish response.

Doppio's words draw his focus away from the fleeing man, and Jonathan himself blinks when he realizes the number of pamphlets upon the ground.] Oh- here, let me help you with these...you've gathered quite the stock of information, and the longer these lay on the ground the more likely they are to smudge the ink I suspect...

[epitaffio]

I've been taking all the pamphlets I've found. Seeing it all written down is a bit easier than keeping track of all the things different people have told me, you know?

[... And at the end of the day, he might still forget a good chunk of it.]

[standless]

[Given the misinformation, that may be for the best.

Unfortunately, Jonathan does not know how many of these are inaccurate.] I see- I would quite agree; there's so much to take in all at once, and so much of it important, it's vital to have these available.

[He passes the few he's gathered up to Doppio, smiling.] Here you are- it seems they're minimally damaged as well, which is fortunate indeed. If I were to offer a guess, I suspect you've only arrived rather recently.

[epitaffio]

Thanks. [He adds those to the pile he's gathered himself, smiling. It looks like he's carrying them even more precariously than before.] And you've got that right! I woke up here a few days ago.

[standless]

It's no trouble, [he replies, smiling as well. It fades of course, when the reminder of where they are comes up in that way.] It must be quite a shock then- though you appear to be doing well thus far, and that deserves some credit.

[AH- but he's gone and forgotten his manners again. He should-] I should probably introduce myself though, [Jonathan chuckles quietly.] It's quite rude of me to carry on such a serious conversation without that- my name is Jonathan Joestar. Might I know yours?

[epitaffio]

Oh, you're fine. [He waves a hand - and then quickly returns it to its proper place, lest he have to pick up the pamphlets all over again.] I'm Doppio. Uh, Vinegar Doppio, but you can just call me Doppio, really.

3-ish

[joestarsandstripes]

[Generally speaking, Johnny tries to mind his own goddamn business. He's got enough of his own problems to deal with, he doesn't need to get involved with anyone else's.]

[The guy yelling at a banana peel in the middle of the sidewalk? He's got problems.]

[Johnny looks between him and the busy road, debates whether he should try to go around him or cross over to the other side of the street. Being a moody teenager with a morbid sense of humor, the idea of wheeling himself into traffic to avoid being minorly inconvenienced is pretty on brand. He doubts anyone else would appreciate the joke, though, so he decides to just bite the bullet and wheel his ass forward, see if he can't get past this weirdo without it becoming a whole ordeal.]

Hey - You mind?

[He nods towards the sidewalk they're on, which really isn't wide enough to accommodate a pedestrian and a wheelchair side by side. One of them's gonna have to move off onto the curb for a sec, and Johnny would rather it not be him.]

GOOD ICONS

[epitaffio]

Can't you see I'm busy, dumbass?!

[When Doppio looks at the guy talking to him, his anger just sort of... ebbs away, though. It's not necessarily because of the wheelchair; it's more because he realises he might be making a little bit of a scene, and the Boss wouldn't like that. He may not be home, but it's still not a good idea to stand out.

Ah well. It's a prank call anyway, so he slams his "phone" back on the sidewalk.]

Sorry about that. Do you need help?

THANK

[joestarsandstripes]

[Wow, okay. Forget not starting shit - Johnny could brush off the insult, but he has a zero tolerance policy for pity and he can think of no other reason why this guy cooled down so quick after seeing the wheelchair.]

[Johnny knows he shouldn't open his mouth when he's got his red up, it only ever exacerbates the situation, but this guy started it.]

You're the one that needs help, asshole. Go get your head checked.

[He's not even gonna bother asking the guy to step aside - he's just gonna wheel forward and expect him to get the hell out of his way.]

[epitaffio]

What? Hey-- [He has genuinely no idea why the guy's so angry all of a sudden - maybe he was that rude, huh? His bad - but he doesn't have the time to try offering a better apology. In fact, he barely has the time to move aside, either, and a wheel ends up rolling all over his foot.]

Ow!

[Naturally, he collapses, clutching his foot... and rolls his way in front of the wheelchair's path. Naturally.]

[joestarsandstripes]

[...]

[Oh, you've gotta be shitting him.]

[Johnny feels 0 remorse for running over this guy's foot, but the way he falls to the ground afterwards is so pathetic that he has to wonder if maybe he should have given him more time to get out of the way.]

[Rather than run right over him, Johnny rolls back a bit and then just leans forward, elbows on his knees as he looks down at the guy with the dullest expression he can muster.]

...Are you serious? Come on, this is embarrassing.

[Johnny's pretty sure he barely weighs a hundred pounds soaking wet, what with the muscular atrophy and all. He can't possibly have hurt the guy that bad...right?]

[...Ugh. Ugh. He hates having a conscience. It always rears its shiny head at the worst possible moments.]

[Sighing, he holds out his hand, offering to help the guy up in a way he hopes looks more reluctant and half-assed than it feels.]

[epitaffio]

Ugh... You're the one who just ran me over...

[Doppio sees the hand, and makes a very conscious decision not to take it, instead just getting back on his feet all by himself. The way he stumbles, he does seem hurt--

And then he does it again. He starts going BRRRINGALINGALING with his own damn mouth.]

Again?!

[joestarsandstripes]

[For a second (but only a second) Johnny almost feels a little bad, seeing the guy stumble as he gets back on his feet. It's not his fault this guy is being a total baby about getting rolled over, but it is his fault that he got rolled on in the first place. He almost wants to bite out an apology just to get him out of his hair, but then the guy just - Johnny doesn't even know what he does. He's making this weird noise with his mouth like he's goddamn possessed, and he doesn't even seem to realize he's the one making it.]

[Johnny tactfully rolls backwards a little bit, putting a few inches of distance between himself and the nutjob in front of him.]

What --? No, you know what? I don't even want to know.

[At this point, he's fully intent on getting around this guy even if it means he's gotta ride off the curb and into the road in order to do so.]

[epitaffio]

It's not my fault! I don't even know who's calling.

[Augh, what if it IS the boss this time, though? And now he's lost the phone...

Oh, wait, there it is. ... There it goes.]

Hey, where do you think you're going with my phone?!

[He's going after Johnny. And if he lets him get close enough, then he's gonna try and pull a shoe right off his foot.]

T... THREE......

[blackplantasia]

[So, admittedly, Edward still isn't that accustomed to the idea of phones.

What can he say, after coming from a place that didn't have them? So much of the technology in Bavan still baffles him to this day, even after using so much of it in his day-to-day life. He's vaguely familiar with some of their respective workings, but ultimately he regards the vast majority of his surroundings with an unending sense of mysticism.

But he's at least seen people use phones, and he's had more modern mobile devices explained to him. He knows that a receiver ring when someone is calling, and he knows that you go to the receiver and put it to your ear when accepting a call. That's about it. (He hasn't figured out the 'calling someone' part himself.)

So he at least kind of gets what this strange pink man is imitating when he buzzes his lips and presses a banana peel into his hair. There's a brief moment where the pooka slows to a stop on the sidewalk, casting a sympathetic smile toward the stranger. This is a really strange goof and he isn't sure he likes it.

The longer Edward stays, though, the more the seriousness of the situation begins to tap his shoulder. This fellow's tone carries an obviously-genuine distress to it, its sharpness stiffening Ed's spine in worry. This phone call is extremely real to this man, and it's clearly very distressing. The most upsetting things tend to be the least real, he's come to understand.

Maybe he can help. Just telling the pink man that the phone call isn't real will only upset him further, though, or at least Ed suspects such from his own experience. Interrupting the call more naturally, on the other hand, might work a little smoother. He glances around, searching the nearby ground, tables, stalls for anything...

Wait a god damn minute.

Ed grabs one of his long ears and folds it over itself, taking a seat at one of the small outside tables. Built-in telephone hell yeah.]

Ring-ring, [Edward trills in hopes of grabbing the pink man's attention.] Ring-ring... Incoming call!

[epitaffio]

[Well, one way or another, Doppio is in the process of slamming his phone back down on the sidewalk, frustrated that all he's getting is these spooky whispers. In fact, he still looks pretty mad when he hears the... rabbit man? When he hears the rabbit man ringing.]

...

[And now he just looks kind of confused. But hey, he's got his attention.]

What are you doing?

[blackplantasia]

[What is he doing, he asks?

Edward doesn't release his ear and instead grins delightfully. His ratlike tail swishes back and forth like a wobbling cord.] Well, it seemed like someone was giving you a hard time on the phone. I was hoping to intercept 'n get them to leave you alone.

[He declares this with a lot of confidence for someone who doesn't really know what a phone is. He's trying!!

His smile does begin to falter into some more embarrassed half-grimace as it becomes clear to him that this stranger is less than amused with his actions.] Doesn't, ah, seem to have worked, though, does it?

[And just as quickly, Ed perks back up.] Are you alright?

[epitaffio]

No, I guess it didn't. [He furrows his brow.] Are you alright? You know you're not a phone, right?

[blackplantasia]

Are you sure about that?

[epitaffio]

[...]

Are you going to tell me you're some kind of... phone monster? Because that's pretty weird.

[blackplantasia]

There's some weird stuff here in Ryslig.

[He hops a few feet away, as pooka are wont to do.]

Happy travels, pink sir!

[And then he slips back into The Felfri Void from whence he came.]

[epitaffio]

[what the fuck just happened]